


Dusk

by ToonThink



Series: Toon Think's Splatoon Universe [5]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Crime, Drama, F/F, One-Shot, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:20:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27641999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToonThink/pseuds/ToonThink
Summary: Inkopolis is changing; The existence of the New Squidbeak Splatoon has been leaked to the public, the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook have lost their careers, and the streets are growing less and less safe. In the chaos, it's left to a couple of has-beens of Splatoon Island "fame" to become the new faces of the music industry... even if it means selling their souls first.
Series: Toon Think's Splatoon Universe [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1515467
Kudos: 3





	Dusk

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, all, your least favorite author Toon Think is here! ... *ahem* Anyway, I know I've been slow with updates lately, for which I apologize, but for anyone who happens to be stumbling upon and reading this, I have a brand new one-shot for you today. This one is a side story from New Squidbeak Splatoon: Off Duty, and takes place about a month or so after the events of Agent 3: Execution, as it will be further exploring the dire consequences said story had on Inkopolis in this universe. It's also a half-sequel to my other one-shot, Splatoon Island, although it's very tonally different from that, so... take from that what you will. Anyway, I won't hold you for long, so, onto the show.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Splatoon or any of its characters. Splatoon is owned by Nintendo. The characters of Dawn and Sunny are meanwhile based off of character designs from Mike Inel.

A small _click_ sounded as the interrogator started the tape and set it down on the table before him. He opened his notebook. "...State your full name for the record."

The Inkling woman across from him, who was dressed in a tank top and short jeans, with long, red hair that partially hid a nasty bruise on her head, sat still, a bored stare in her eyes. "…Dawn."

"Your _real_ name."

She sighed. "…Diane Jennings."

* * *

"Briana Norris." The Inkling woman with shorter, yellow hair, and clothes that were only a bit less revealing, stated without any preceding lie. She was bruised even more than Diane was.

"And your Solar Flair stage name is… Sunny?" The same interrogator asked her.

"Yes."

* * *

"You have a record of driving and other reckless activities while under alcoholic influence. Were either you or your girlfriend drunk at the dance club tonight?"

"A little." Diane replied.

* * *

"How much did you drink?"

"A few glasses. Fairly strong." Briana said. "But we were clear-headed enough."

* * *

"Why did you attack Marie and her friends tonight?"

Diane took a moment to think over her answer. "…Because the Squid Sisters are lying, selfish whores who needed a lesson and a good slap in the face. They've upstaged us multiple times and they hog the attention. They'll do _anything_ to hog it. They took our careers. I wanted them back."

"Attempting to harm a woman isn't the way to fix your career. In fact, you've only made your situation worse. Is petty revenge really that worth it to you?"

"...If it helps me sleep better at night."

* * *

"Did you or Diane Jennings have any intention of seriously harming or even killing Callie and Marie at the dance club tonight?"

Briana fell silent as she thought about her answer. However, she was unable to stop herself from grinning a bit.

* * *

**Months Later**

**Downtown Inkopolis**

An ugly yet usual gray hue emanated from the southernmost area of Inkopolis, by far the most rundown area of the city. The buildings were heavily run-down and graffitied, while broken glass shards and drugged people littered the streets, and waves of smoke from nearby factories poisoned the air.

A different puff of smoke was blown out of Diane's mouth as she silently walked down the street, a lit cigarette in her dangling hand. Her hair was barely done and her face was devoid of any of her usual makeup that she liked to wear, while her clothes were cheap and only barely seemed to be laundered, maybe a few weeks ago. She raised the cigarette to her mouth and breathed in a puff of smoke, blowing it back out as she passed the graffitied mural of Agent 3 that had recently been drawn on the wall she was passing. She eyed it, with disgust visible in her eyes, but soon looked away as she walked past it, letting out a frustrated sigh. It was only one of several that had been drawn around the city, but she hated all of them.

After passing the usual several junkies and run-down buildings in the area, she soon came up to her cheap apartment building, where she walked inside. She stopped by the mailbox wall to check and pull out her mail, before she shuffled up the stairs toward her apartment on the third floor, again passing people, some of them fairly creepy.

She pulled out her keys, briefly flipped them in her hand, and unlocked the door once she arrived. The apartment was ugly, and was clearly the cheapest option that they could possibly afford; It was painfully small, the walls were made of bricks with no sort of decoration, there was no bedroom or bathroom (in fact, the whole thing was just one room that held all the living necessities in one place), and it smelled like literal shit. Diane, at this point, had originally grimaced and backed out when she first walked in, but now, she was used to it, and walked in with her blank stare instead.

Briana was at the table, her bare feet propped up as she counted money. She took out her old earbuds as she noticed her girlfriend enter. "…Hey, babe."

"Hey." She flicked her cigarette into the trash can and moved over to the mini-fridge they had for a beer, before sitting at the table herself. She opened it, tossed the lid aside, and started chugging it for a good moment, before turning back to Briana. She stared at the money in her hand. "…That today's haul?"

Briana just nodded, but didn't say anything.

"...How much?"

She finished counting and slowly set it down. "…Not enough."

She sighed. "Dammit…"

She lowered her feet, sitting up to face her. "…The drug-dealing was… always going to be a temporary solution… but I can't get much without better material. Gonzales is just too much of a penny-pincher, no one else will even help us…" She sighed. "…I take it the job interview didn't go well?"

"...Same thing as all the others… no one wants to hire ex-cons these days."

"Inkopolis was _never_ nice on ex-cons, babe. But people have still found success."

"That was _before_ the Underdogs incident… People have never been more afraid of ex-cons than they are these days. To anyone who's not us, we're nothing but terrorists and a threat, even if we aren't."

Briana sighed again.

And yet, speaking of terrorists… Diane's eyes shifted to the wall nearby, where they had a bunch of papers hung up on the walls, including photos and newspapers articles. Several different headlines read things like: **"New Squidbeak Splatoon: EXPOSED"** , **"Squid Sisters, Off the Hook Canned"** , **"Agent 3 Presumed Deceased, IPD Manhunt Concludes"** , **"Musical Terrorists and Where They Are Today"** , **"Squid Sisters, Off the Hook Producer Searching for New Musical Talent", "Agent 3 Alive, Once Again on Streets"** , **"Squid Sisters Released from House Arrest"**.She every once in a while liked to look back at this wall, as a reminder, so to speak. "…We wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the god damn Squid Sisters…"

Briana looked over as well. "…I know… Secret agent filth…"

Diana chugged her drink again, groaning. "…Our Splatoon Island gig would've gone just great if they hadn't interfered… and then they attacked us at that dance club, put us in god damn jail cells, and yet they're still walking free as we speak…"

"What baffles me was that they only ever got put on house arrest…" She grabbed a drink as well, taking a sip. "Bet they still lived like loyalty."

"While we're treated like criminals…"

"...Dawn…" She looked her in the eye. "…People like these, the ones that take advantage of people like us-" She pointed back at the wall. "They're why we can't give up. The world is trying to keep us down, but we can't let it. If we let it, then the Squid Sisters win."

Diane stared right back at her, listening intently.

Briana reached over and put her hand on hers. "Don't forget what we're fighting for."

"...I never have, babe… we've stuck together since childhood… through everything…"

"We've gone to hell and back already."

She leaned forward, squeezing her hand. "…Us against the world."

She leaned forward as well, pulling her into a sudden, aggressive kiss. Diane kissed her back, just as roughly, as she wrapped her arms around her, as if to show off her own love for her. It wasn't long before Briana suddenly lifted her up, and she giggled as she was carried over to the nearby bed. She dropped her safely onto the mattress and crawled on top of her, again pressing her lips against hers.

* * *

**The Next Day**

**Inkopolis Square**

A flurry of flashing lights lit up the windows of what used to be the Off the Hook studio, which currently looked little like its own self. Apparently, it had been attacked the previous night, with the window being smashed open a bit, and the word **"TERRORISTS"** was written in bold spray paint on the part of the glass that was still intact. A couple men could be seen cleaning up inside, as they actively tried to ignore the group of rabid reporters and flashing lights outside.

Minutes passed as the reporters waited impatiently for their forced interviewee, absolutely hungry for as much information as they could suck up, until soon, the door opened. They all flocked around as a man walked out, with a handsome purple slick hairstyle and snazzy looking suit, which he buttoned up a little as he came out into public view.

"Ryan Kelp!" They shouted.

"What can you say about the graffiti incident that happened here? Do you know who did it?"

"Sir, do you think that there's any grain of truth to the theory that your studio actively employed known terrorists? Or did you find out with everyone else?"

"Is it true that your studio is struggling to find new musical talents for the upcoming Splatfest season despite what you told the press before?"

"Was the New Squidbeak Splatoon and your studio in fact directly associated with the Underdogs?"

Ryan didn't say anything, instead waiting patiently as some guards came over and began to hold the reporters off, allowing him to walk down the square, turn the corner, and head to his car, still accompanied by guards. It was a nice, expensive looking white beauty of a car, and he marveled at it a bit as he always did. He was about to open the door, when something caught his eye. He turned to see that Diane was standing nearby, hands in her pockets, waiting for him. Her face told him that she wanted to talk, and she was even a bit prettied up for the occasion.

"...Dawn." He said, stepping toward her a bit. "…What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" Diane replied, folding her arms. "…I read in the paper that you're still struggling to find new talent for the upcoming Splatfest season. Which is coming up fast, huh?"

"Why do you care?"

"...Sun and I have been struggling a lot lately with money problems, because no one will hire us. I am… asking again for your consideration."

He groaned, rubbing his forehead a bit. "…I already got you the damn Splatoon Island gig, why do you always want more out of me?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "…The Splatoon Island gig was ruined by the very same Squid Sisters that _you_ previously hired."

"How was I supposed to know that they'd even be there? Or do that? They left the studio years before that even happened. They had their own careers, their own agents. And yet, once again, you are pinning the blame on me."

"Look, just… listen. Sun and I can do Splatfest season, I'm telling you. Give us the stage, let us try Solar Flair again, and I promise you, it will help all of us. Please."

"...I'm sorry, Dawn, but… you guys don't cut it. I don't know how else to tell you."

"...But people loved us!"

"Clearly not enough, if they were willing to toss you to the side in favor of the Squid Sisters."

"Off the Hook wasn't as popular either."

"And do you see them still working here?"

"Only because they turned out to be in that stupid hero band."

"...I know… and I took no pleasure in firing them… but seeing how everyone online treats them and now my studio like terrorists, I had to get rid of them."

"...You were involved in that, weren't you?"

"No, of course not. …Despite what the press would want you to believe, we had no idea about the New Squidbeak Splatoon, or the Underdogs, or whatever the narrative is right now. We learned at the same time as everyone else."

"But the public doesn't believe you…"

"And now no one wants to work with us."

"...But we do."

"No one _useful_ wants to work with us." He corrected himself.

She fell silent and stared at him, looking clearly insulted.

He sighed. "...Ok, don't give me that look, I know that things are hard right now, for everyone. And you girls are both pretty. But I-"

"You just want as much money as you can fit in your fat asshole of a wallet. While Sun and I have nothing."

"...Well…" He sighed. "…you know how business works, clearly, so I shouldn't have to explain."

"...You don't think we're good enough…"

"...Your track record is flawed. People didn't like your performances enough, you later went and got yourself arrested, and yet, you keep pinning the blame on the Squid Sisters. Honestly, it's starting to sound like you girls are just trying to lie to yourselves about why you failed so you can sleep better at night."

She again fell silent, her hand starting to ball into a fist as she angrily stared at him. In fact, she looked very much like she was about to hit him. Before she could, however, a guard came up, grabbing Kelp's shoulder.

"Sir, we need to keep you on schedule." He said.

"Fine…" Ryan replied, before turning back to Diane. "…Goodbye, Dawn. I wish you both good fortune." With that, he stepped away and finally got in his car.

Diane could only watch as the car soon drove off, disappearing, and she she sighed angrily. She just couldn't win, could she? At that moment, however, she suddenly felt someone tap her shoulder, and she jumped slightly before she turned to look.

"Hey." The girl who tapped her said. She was a very beautiful young woman, and had a pretty blue haircut style. She smiled at her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"...What do you want?"

She took off her glasses. "I was just passing by and kinda heard you talking to that guy. Um… don't worry, I just overheard, I'm not some weird stalker or anything, but still, you sound like you could use my help."

"...Um… not sure what you could do, that guy is my old producer."

"Oh, you're not following. I'm also a producer. Sounds to me like you got talent and need a quick buck, yet that guy can't see it. But I think I can. Tell me. I think I heard this guy mentioned another girl?"

She hesitated. "...My girlfriend. Sunny."

"Ooh, girlfriend! Boo-yeah! Hold on." She suddenly pulled out her phone and aimed it at her. "Say cheese!"

"What the hell are you-?"

She, however, already snapped the picture. "Awesome! Very pretty, you look like you could work. In fact, you may just be perfect."

"I'm not sure I'm-"

"Tell you what. How about you scoop up your girlfriend real quick and you two can meet me in my office, in… hm… an hour? Sound good?"

Diane just stared at her, surprised, as she thought it over.

* * *

**An Hour Later**

"My name's Zoey Cook!" The girl finally introduced herself as she sat at her own desk in her office. The office was somewhat small, and was decorated with posters of what appeared to be female models, some of which with her on them. "I'm a model, actress, and film producer working for the very same studio that you two beauties just sat down in, and I am hoping we can help each other out. See, I specialize in finding and recruiting attractive young woman, just like; you guessed it, you girls!"

Diane and Briana, sitting down across the desk from her, shot each other a glance before looking back at her. "…You do… modelling and producing?" Diane asked.

"Mhmm." Zoey smiled.

"...And you… want us?"

"Mhmm." She repeated. "I've already heard just a little bit about your current situation, and it sucks, I know. Life in the city lately is quite a drag. But, I think we have a real golden opportunity here to be able to help each other out. It's a win-win scenario. How much modeling experience do you have?"

"Um… we've done… a _little…_ " Briana replied. "We've had a couple rodeos. But we were mainly musicians, not actual models."

"That's fine! All I need! Hold on." She turned to her computer, opening a document. "So, let's get right down to business. First, I need your names and some of your work background."

"...I'm Dawn." Diane replied.

"Sunny." Briana added.

"We, uh… briefly had a gig at Splatoon Island as a duo with the stage name Solar Flair. We did one performance before Callie and Marie…" She cleared her throat. "Ruined us…"

"Hmmmmmm…" Zoey hummed as she wrote that down, although she wrote the name as **"Solar Flare".** "Solar Flare… interesting… I like the whole sun theme you've got going on. Although, I'm not sure how I feel about you naming yourselves off a… sun laser or whatever."

"...A-Actually, it's a play on words… the flare is flair… it means stylish…" She sighed. "…Looking back, I guess it wasn't very obvious when being heard out loud…"

"Oooh!" She went back and corrected her typing. "Solar Flair, how cute! You guys are creative, totally adds to your sexiness!"

"...We didn't name it, Ryan Kelp did…" She admitted.

"Oh. Well… still. Now, I need to know, are you two both bisexual?"

"...What does our sexuality have to do with this?"

"Just… hold on. Before we go any farther." Briana decided to interrupt before Zoey could respond. "Your studio… only does… modelling?"

"And little films." Zoey nodded. "Very fun job here."

"...You don't do music?"

"Ah, no, sorry. But this is just as great! I mean… ok, while it's true that we're kind of struggling against rival studios, it doesn't change the fact that the porn industry is booming these days."

The room fell silent for a moment.

"...Porn!?" Diane suddenly shouted.

"Yeah. Wait… was that not obvious coming in...?"

"You never mentioned it! You're a porn producer and you didn't lead with that?"

"...Dammit… must've gotten ahead of myself again…"

"Did you!?" She stood up and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "We didn't come here to become a pornstars."

"I'm sorry, I just…" Zoey tried to calm her down too. "Two attractive girls with no job, no money, and producer issues just kinda fell into my lap, and… I've been looking for new pornstars for months, ok?"

"...Every time… every time I think there might be a chance…" She rubbed her forehead in frustration.

Briana just stood up, grabbing her hand. "C'mon, babe, let's just go…"

Zoey, however, was just starting to feel bad now. As she watched them start to walk out, she cleared her throat to catch their attention. "Um… you guys said you wanted the music industry, right?"

She slowly turned around. "…Yeah? And?"

"...Ok, I can't help you with that directly, but… I may know one way to help _indirectly_." She stood up. "I may only be a porn producer, but I'm a producer nonetheless. Let's just say I have connections and know where to go."

Diane couldn't help but let herself grow helpful again. She was, after all, desperate. "…Where?"

She grinned. "Wanna take a walk with me?"

* * *

**Later**

Loud hip hop music blasted their ears as Zoey swung open the doors to some kind of private dance club. She grinned as they entered, and she looked around, holding her arms out. "Viola!"

Diane looked around, amazement starting to take over her expression. The place did seem pretty high class, yet wasn't even necessarily fancy. People in expensive-looking clothing and jewelry were dancing around, clearly enjoying themselves.

Briana looked around as well. "…How did a chick like you get us access to a place like this?"

"Like I said. I have connections." Zoey replied. "This place is like a producer, hell, even actor hotspot in Inkopolis. They even have a rare wine collection here, I think."

"...Wow…"

"I'm not so familiar with the music industry, but, at least I got you through the door. It's all yours from here on out, cowgirls."

"...Please, don't call us that."

"Oh. Sorry. What would you prefer I call you?"

"Just… Dawn and Sunny is fine…"

"Alright. Sorry, again, I like giving people little nicknames. Um… speaking of names, are those… actually your real names? I've never met someone named Sunny before."

Diane simply responded by glaring at her.

"...Ok… message received." She walked away.

Diane looked around some more, and Briana did the same, looking at some of the prettier girls with an envious look. "…Think there's anyone here who can help us?"

"...Who knows… I…" Diane looked over her shoulder to make sure Zoey wasn't listening. She had, in fact, gone to get a drink. "…I don't trust this Zoey girl…"

"Me neither… she checks out every box on what makes a woman slutty. …Frankly, she reminds me of Callie. The whore."

"It feels like she still wants something out of us…"

"...Well… if that's her game, we can play it too. We can use her for as long as we need, make sure we stay above her, and when we're finished… we'll toss her aside."

"Remind her of her place." She added, nodding. "Well, babe… you're in charge."

She smiled a bit. "…Let's split up and ask around."

She nodded again, and they did as requested, going their separate ways to explore the club. A few minutes passed as Diane looked around curiously, even eyeing up some of the prettier girls with more exposing clothing. Briana did the same, but was getting more interesting results: a fair amount of girls and, for some reason, jellyfish, were swarming around one particular creature. He appeared to be some kind of Giant Isopod, with a large grey body covered by a snazzy white suit. The most intriguing thing about him, however, was the gold music note necklace that he wore. His beady eyes soon locked onto Briana's as he noticed her staring.

Zoey noticed who she was looking at, and walked over. "Ooh… I'd be careful around that guy."

"...Who is he? Is he in the music industry?"

"Yes and no. He's the club owner, but… no one knows where he got the money. The word going around is that he's from the deep sea, but somehow came to the surface and… well… let's just say that his nickname around here is Dennis the Menace."

"...Why's he called that?"

She just shrugged in response.

Briana looked back at Dennis, who was still staring back, before she decided to turn away.

"Probably smart." Zoey nodded. "Good call, Sun."

She did another brief look around the club, and locked eye contact with Diane, who also seemed alone and empty handed. She sighed."...This is a waste of time." She suddenly walked off, signaling to Diane to do the same.

"...Pardon?" Zoey followed, surprised. "Girls, I don't mean to sound pushy, but if you leave now, I can't promise you you'll ever be let back in. Ever _._ "

As she regrouped with Diane, she turned to her. "We're just not sure this place is for us. No one here even seems to be quite looking us in the eye, except for creep-show over there."

"...I understand." She sighed. "…I just wanted to help."

"Everyone just wants to help as long as it will get them what they want." Diane replied.

She blinked a bit as she stared at her, before looking back at Briana. "…Is that… what you think is happening here?"

"Well… speaking from experience." Briana replied.

"The question is what exactly you have to gain from this. Because I haven't figured it out." Diane added.

Zoey stared at them, surprised and now a bit hurt. "...I-I just wanted to help because you seemed like you needed some…" She defended herself, an honest look in her eyes. "I know that… things can't be easy for you these days…"

Upon seeing her eyes, now, Diane did kind of feel bad for what she just said. Even if it was just a pinch of regret. She opened her mouth to apologize. "…I…"

"...Come on." Briana interrupted, taking her hand. "Let's go, babe."

She stared back into Zoey's eyes, still itching to tell her a simple apology, but said nothing as she turned and walked off to the entrance, hand-in-hand with Briana. They didn't get far, however, before they were blocked off.

A large Inkling was standing in front of the door as they arrived. He was a real muscular bodyguard type, and he had his arms folded as he stared them down.

Zoey watched from a distance as Briana took a step forward, feeling somewhat threatened. She stared up at him. "…Move."

"...Mr. Lincoln would like a word with you. Both of you." The man responded, not moving an inch.

She sighed. "We don't have time for this… move."

He didn't budge, still patiently staring at them.

"...Come on, Dawn." She turned and started to lead her away, only to realize there was a second guard right behind them, keeping them enclosed. She was about to walk past him, only to realize that he was lifting up his jacket slightly, and her eyes widened a bit when she saw it. There was a gun on his hip. A lethal, high-pressure ink charger. She backed up slightly.

"...Come with me." He told her.

She stared at him, now too petrified to do anything.

* * *

The girls were soon led up to the upstairs floor of the club, which was pretty empty in comparison to the main floor. It seemed only very specific people were allowed to ever step foot up here. They looked around nervously as they were soon led into a fairly large office, which seemed pretty nice and expensive in comparison to Zoey's. They looked around. Large portraits in gold portraits hung on the walls, some of which contained the Dennis guy that Zoey had just warned them about.

The guards stood behind them as they stayed there, waiting for something to happen. Minutes passed, and they were met with nothing but silence.

"...What are we doing here?" Diane decided to ask the guards as she got more and more impatient.

The guards remained silent in response.

"...Answer me!"

"Dawn…" Briana squeeze her hand. "…Stay calm…"

"We shouldn't be up here." She replied in a quieter tone, her breathing shaky.

"Remember… us against the world. They can't do anything to us here that will tear us apart. Or bring us any lower than we already are."

"That's where you may be wrong." A deep voice spoke to them from the back of the room, with a Giant Isopod accent, as Dennis finally stepped in. He walked over to his desk, and despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of the room, clearly towered over them. "You girls still have looks. A charm about you. Like… how you'd say it… the sun. Something that burns bright within you. I'd hate to have to take that away."

Diane did her best to maintain her posture. "…The hell do you want with us?"

"My name's Dennis Lincoln." He fixed up his suit a bit. "And I've been wanting to talk ever since I first laid my eyes on you downstairs."

"...We're… we're just nobodies."

He scoffed a bit. "Nobody's nobody. Besides, do you think I don't know who you are?"

She froze up a bit.

"I may not have been on Splatoon Island the day you girls had your gig. But from one music fan to another… I'd recognize the sweet faces of Solar Flair anywhere."

"...You are in the music industry." Briana guessed.

"Music industry? No. A music fan with excellent tastes and a persuasive personality? Maybe."

"...I don't buy it. Simple 'music fans' don't have their own clubs and casual portraits made out of gold."

"Like I said. Persuasive personality."

"...What do you want from us?" Diane asked.

He poured himself a glass of whiskey, giving it a sip. "…I want to hire you."

"For what?"

"A chance to play music in my club. Maybe. And… maybe some more adult-themed tasks. You girls look like you like exposing clothing, anyway."

"...Like hell."

"What, you don't want a steady job? Don't want money?"

"...I… of course we do…" Briana replied. "But we don't fold just because someone tells us to. We have honor. We have each other. We don't just hand our bodies to people like you and Zoey."

He looked down somewhat, shaking his head. "…Honor… is that what you girls think you have?"

She didn't respond.

"...Well… allow me to show you honor… and what happens if I don't get what I want." He turned around and motioned to some guards by the back of the room, who nodded and stepped out.

It only took another moment before they came back in, holding an Inkling by his arms. Diane's eyes widened a bit as they carried him over nearby the girls, shoving him down to his knees as he groaned in pain. He was young, couldn't be any older than 17, and his face was bruised and bleeding.

Diane gasped as she got a good look at him. She didn't know him, or even recognize him, but she still felt like her hearts fell to her stomach. "Oh my god... what did they do to you?" She attempted to step forward, only for the guards to all pull out guns and point them at her. She jumped and stepped back again, while the Inkling started to tear up in pure terror. Briana also seemed shaken and a bit wide-eyed, but stayed still and silent.

"...Caught this boy trying to sneak into my club. Pretty sure he was trying to rob me and my boys." Dennis explained. "Good thing he couldn't get past the guards."

"Let him go." Diane commanded.

"Why? He's a thief. I bet he thought he had honor too, before we caught him. I didn't even tell you the funny part, I was impressed with how far he was able to get, so I offered to hire him. Just like I'm offering you now. Of course, being as young as naive as he is, he refused. Taught him a good lesson, we did."

"He's just a kid!"

"And kids these days have no respect. You must see. You just came in here and you have no respect for me either."

"Because you forced us up here and asked us to be your prostitutes!"

"And now you see what happens when I don't get what I want. Just look at him." He pointed at him.

She looked back at the boy, who was crying as he was held. She started to tear up a bit as well. "…No one's going to hurt you."

"Don't tell me you care for the boy." Dennis replied.

"...I care that he's clearly young and doesn't deserve this."

He sighed. "…Fine. Maybe you're right. Maybe I was wrong. He's still young, eh? Plenty of time to grow, to learn… beauty of youth and all that, right?"

She nodded. "…So you understand, please just let him go."

He thought about it. "...Alright, then. You're right. I'll let him go."

She waited eagerly for the guards to release the boy, as the room fell into silence. However, to her horror, the guards did the exact opposite of letting him go. One guard suddenly raised his charger to the back of his head and pulled the trigger, a blast of ink blasting a hole through his head. His ink and brains coated the nearby wall, before the guards let his body collapse.

Diane and Briana both jumped as they heard the sudden gunshot, before Diane realized what happened. "NO!"

"...Unfortunately for the young, he was hardly innocent." Dennis sighed. "But I'm glad to be able to let him go. Maybe now, he'll be able to answer for what he did."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She suddenly dived toward him, but was quickly held back by the other two guards. She screamed and struggled against them as she was pulled away.

"...It's not too late for us to all walk out of here happy." He continued. "Just let me hire you. And you'll get everything you could ever want."

"GO TO HELL! YOU SICK SON A BITCH!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as she continued thrashing.

"...Still no respect… shame…" He sighed. "…Alright, then, I guess I can still give you girls time to think it over." He motioned to the guards again.

The guards started to carry her out, as she continued fighting them in vain. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" She screamed as she was carried out of sight.

"Hey… hey!" Briana started to follow, only to get blocked off by the guards that just shot the Inkling. "Where are you taking her!?"

"Her too." Dennis clarified to them.

They nodded and grabbed her in the same way, and she also started struggling. "Hey! HEY!"

* * *

It wasn't long before both of them were shoved into some kind of spare room, Diane first and then Briana second. Diane fell to her knees as they finally let her go, but then stood up, running after them again with an angry scream, only to have the door slammed in her face and locked. She panted and took a moment, before she angrily slammed on the door. "LET US OUT!"

Diane kept angrily banging on the door, while Briana just gave a defeated sigh, looking around. Her defeated expression, however, slowly turned into that of wonder as she looked around the room.

Diane started tearing up as she soon gave up, sliding down to her knees against the door, where she let herself break down crying.

"...Dawn…" Briana tried to interject.

"...He killed him…" She mouthed. "…We were standing right there and he killed him…"

"Dawn, look." She turned to her.

Diane slowly turned her gaze to her, seeing what she was referring to. While the room they were in was enclosed, it seemed like no prison. A beautiful chandelier hung from a ceiling, there was a fishtank and a small fountain that gave the room the relaxing sound of running water, several drawers and multiple closets, and, best of all, a king-sized bed. They both looked around the room in amazement, and Diane slowly stood up, calming down.

"...I… wow…" She thought out loud. "...How does someone from the deep sea get all this?"

"...He's a crime lord." Briana concluded.

"...What?" She looked at her.

"Think about it. He has no job, yet he has his own club which practically has a palace on the second floor, and he has personal armed guards that seem to double as servants… I don't even think Zoey knew about all this when she walked us in here…"

"...And it involves killing people…"

"...There was nothing we could do about that."

"...What if there was…?"

"...In either case… it's over now. No use moping on it." She looked around. "…Better to worry about what we're gonna do next."

"...Well… we clearly have time to kill…" She walked over to the bed, running her fingers over the covers. It was very soft. Way softer than the one they had at home. In fact, she hadn't felt anything this soft in… probably her whole life. Any negative emotions began to leave her mind, one after one, as she ran her fingers along it. It felt like the best thing ever.

After a moment, she sat down, feeling how soft the bed was as it sank slightly. And why stop there? Slowly, she laid down, resting her head on the pillow, feeling like the bed had pulled her into a big, fuzzy hug. It was probably the best she had felt in months.

* * *

Dennis, meanwhile, was still in his office, sitting at his desk in silence as he thought over his options. A smooth, low melody filled the room from his nearby radio, as a couple workers casually cleaned up the inky mess that was the Inkling's corpse in the corner of the room.

One of his men soon walked up. "Our guests are situated now. They've stopped resisting."

"Oh, good." Dennis replied simply.

"...Just give the order and I can take care of them. It can be easily covered up, I doubt anyone will even realize they're missing."

He sighed. "…You're always so quick to the trigger, you know that?"

"...Well, I don't recommend setting them free. They could speak out against you. You will be exposed."

"If we play our cards right, that won't be an issue. I want you to start a file on them, gather me as much information as you can before midnight."

"...Why?"

"Because Solar Flair is the brand we've been looking for. The brand that we need. The city is changing and the music industry is ripe for the taking. I'm going to find what makes these girls tick, and I'm going to turn them. Even if it requires the hard way."

* * *

**The Next Morning**

Diane's eyes drifted open as she slowly woke up the next morning. They hadn't been allowed to leave all night, nor had they even heard anything, so they had been forced to instead pass the time the previous night. The aftermath was both of the girls nude, Briana's head against her chest as they cuddled together, obscured under the warm embrace of the fuzzy blanket that was part of the bed. Briana's breathing remained slow and steady as she slept; they were pretty relaxed for the circumstances, probably because of how damn pleasant the room and bed were.

Minutes passed as Diane remained still, until Briana slowly drifted awake, sighing a bit. She slowly lifted her head, turning to her lover. "…Morning…"

"Morning…"

She slowly sat up. "…They let us out yet?"

"What do you think?"

She looked over, seeing that the door was still shut tight and locked. She sighed a bit. "…Well, at least it's not bad in here…"

"And at least we're still together…" She nodded, shooting a grin toward her breasts.

She noticed and grinned back, slowly sitting up to her level. "…You were great last night…"

"I'm pretty good at it under stress…"

"...Yeah, you are… if we… have to stay in this room for a while…"

"We'll make do with it…"

They leaned forward to kiss each other, but were swiftly interrupted as the door unlocked and suddenly opened up. Diane gasped a bit as they quickly covered up again.

A guard came in, uncaring of their apparent nudity. He stood at the foot of the bed. "Mr. Lincoln has made you breakfast."

Briana stared at him, desperate to once again have privacy. "…Ok…"

They, however, fell into silence as the guard patiently stood there, waiting for them to get up. "…So get dressed." He eventually demanded.

Diane and Briana awkwardly looked at each other.

* * *

It took a couple minutes for the guards to supply the girls with neat robes to slip on, before leading them out of the room, down the hall, and back into Dennis' office. The room had been cleaned already so that no one would ever suspect that someone had gotten their brains blown out here just the day before. In fact, the smell was instead pleasant, as fumes of toast and other breakfast foods filled their nostrils, delighting both of them.

Dennis was already seated and eating, waiting patiently. He looked up at them once he noticed the company. "Ah. Girls."

The girls both looked around the room in amazement, too impressed to even be angry at this point. They hadn't had food like this… ever. And it was made better by the fact that this was the first generally decent meal they had in months.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday's… fiasco, and I figured we could talk about it over breakfast." He explained. "If you wanna sit down."

Diane was aware that they didn't technically have a choice, given the guard right behind them that was ready to grab them if they did anything that Dennis didn't like, but she no longer cared. Everything looked so perfect. Almost without thinking, she located the nearest chair and sat down, while Briana sat next to her. Lincoln watched silently as they both dug in, actually humming in delight as they tasted the food. Diane happily sighed to herself; how much better could this place get?

"...Seems that you girls got a good night sleep." Dennis concluded. "I take it the room was to your liking?"

"...Yes…" Briana admitted.

"Good. Because we, admittedly, still have quite a bit to talk about."

She finally turned her attention away from her food and looked at him. "…Talk about what?"

"My offer. I realized that maybe I put a little too much on you yesterday. Which I apologize for. As such, I wanna take back my 'adult-themed' remark. In fact, just forget I ever brought it up."

They paused and looked at him.

"In fact, I think I came up with an even better deal that will make us all happy."

"...What is it?" Briana asked, earning a look from Diane.

"Bri…" Diane tried to interrupt.

"I'm going to help you girls become the city's new idols. That's what you wanted for the upcoming Splatfest season, no?"

A silence briefly overcame the room as the girls processed what he just said.

"...H-How did you know that?" She asked, disturbed.

Briana, meanwhile, was much more enthusiastic about what she just heard. "…Sir… that's all we want."

"...Dawn here doesn't seem so excited." He noticed.

Briana looked at her, who was still glaring at Dennis.

"...You think we're just going to forget what you did to that kid yesterday?" Diane spoke after a moment.

"...Are we still upset about that?" Dennis replied.

"...We're not ever… going to work with you… like Sun said… we have honor."

He sighed, before wiping his mouth and leaning back a little. Briana stared at Diane, and then back at Dennis, now nervous.

"...Briana…" Dennis spoke again. "Um, may I call you Briana?"

She again wasn't sure how he got her name, but she subtly nodded.

"I would like a moment alone with Diane."

She looked at her, even more nervous now. Were they going to do something to her?

As they fell into silence over the situation, Dennis quickly got frustrated, and he rubbed his forehead with an angry sigh. "Perhaps I wasn't clear… _I would like a moment alone with Diane…"_ He growled.

At that moment, the guards came up and grabbed Briana, forcing her to stand up before silently escorting her out. Diane's heart rate began to increase sharply in her own nervousness, but both of them remained paralyzed in fear as the door closed, leaving her alone with the crime boss. She stared at him.

After a moment of silence, Dennis stood up, straightened his suit a bit, and started slowly walking over to her. "…What is it that you want most, Diane? Um, can I call you Diane?"

"...No…" She replied, her voice slightly shaky.

"...Fine, I can stick with 'Dawn'." He sighed. "But, again, what is it that you want most, Dawn?"

She remained silent.

"...You can tell me, I assure you this is a safe place."

"...You think this place is _'safe'_?"

"...Well, safe _now._ But go on, please tell me."

She sighed. "…I want to go home… with Bri… I want to go home, close the door, close my eyes. and pretend that none of this ever happened…"

"Interesting… I see… you want to go back to that filth stain of your apartment? Or maybe… you're playing coy and what you really want is revenge on the Squid Sisters. On Ryan Kelp. You don't want to go back to your normal life, you want a better one. The life that they took from you."

Once again surprised, she slowly looked up at him.

"I don't mean to sound like a creep, I just did some slight research is all." He continued. "I understand now what happened in Splatoon Island. And then again at the dance club. A couple pretty popstars who already had it all had to come in and ruin everything for you, and you've lived with nothing since. Then, there's also the uncaring producer, who wanted nothing more than the money you got him so he could throw you away as soon as possible."

Her usual anger once again began to boil up inside her, and she started to tear up slightly, but looked away to hide this. She couldn't let him get into her head…

Dennis, however, had already noticed. "…I know what it's like to lose… I know what it's like to get shut out by people who did _nothing_ to earn their power… but since then… look what I've built here. We can't change the past, but we can certainly grow from it, use what we learned to become stronger. And how did I manage that?" He got closer to Diane's head, speaking directly into her ear. She closed her eyes and turned away as he continued. "See, I believe, in every single one of us, there are… primitive desires, that rarely come to the surface, but deep down, we can never hide from them. They fester, they grow, they become stronger… but while most treat them like demons, something to be locked away and avoided, I like to look at them as our greatest weapons. I let them out, I use them, and around that, I've built my life. And now, people fear me."

She was shaking now, breathing heavily. "…Why are you telling me this…?"

"Because I need you to embrace your own. In order to get what you want in this cruel, cruel world, you have to be just as cruel in response. I'm trying to help you, you know." He caressed her face a bit. "And if I'm going to help you, I need your cooperation."

She again flinched as he caressed her.

"Now…" Dennis continued. "Just think about… how much you hate Callie and Marie. Think about everything they've done to you. Think about where you would be now if it weren't for them. How much potential you have, if only you could get people to see it."

She didn't want to listen to him. But yet, the anger towards her rivals had already boiled up long ago, to the point where she couldn't always contain it. Anger started to slowly take over her face, and he noticed.

He smiled a bit. "Now… imagine everything you could do to them. Maybe you could… embarrass them, perhaps. Do to them what they did to you. Maybe you could ruin them, ride on the fact that they are in the Splatoon, that they lied to everyone's faces for years, make society hate them more and more every day, until they feel just as small and insignificant as you do now. You can drive them there. You can drive them to suicide if you try hard enough. But you have to try."

She slowly turned to look at him.

"...Are you willing to try, Ms. Jennings?"

An uncomfortable silence took over the room for a moment before she finally answered. "...Yes…"

He smiled again. He had her now. "Good… there's just one thing we need to do first." He stood up straight.

"...W-What?" She looked at him.

He reached into a nearby drawer, pulled out one of his lethal high-pressure ink chargers, and tossed it to her. She only barely caught it, before staring it in shock. It was currently empty and thus useless, but nonetheless very real. She looked back up at him, wide-eyed.

"Initiation." Dennis responded. "You're going to kill Ryan Kelp."

* * *

**That Night**

Ryan Kelp's nightly routine was simple, and also largely traditional for him. Like any other night, he was driven up to his house by his driver before he got out, thanked him, and entered alone. His house was fairly large, which was a bit strange as he did live alone, but he was content with his lifestyle. Despite his profession, he did prefer nice and quiet at night.

He closed the door behind him as he entered and turned on the lights, revealing walls with framed album covers for which he produced and music awards aimed toward producers like himself. Walking past them, he entered his kitchen, again turned on the light, and went to his fridge for a drink, with no sound except for him and the slight ticking sound of the Off the Hook-themed clock that hung on the wall. He eagerly poured himself a glass of rum, swiveled it around his glass a bit, sniffed it, and then took a tender sip. Just another drink earned by a hard day's work.

He sighed happily as he lowered the glass again, but it didn't last long before something else caught his eye. A framed picture, that usually hung proudly on the wall, had fallen to the floor, the glass broken. How did it fall down on its own? He thought it was hung pretty tightly. Confused, he went to pick it up, and it was then that he thought he heard… a footstep, just in the other room. Now he was getting nervous. Silently reaching to grab the rum bottle, he slowly and carefully made his way to investigate.

Making his way into the living room, he darted his eyes around, seeing that… there was no one there. He didn't know if he was just hearing things, but he slowly lowered his guard again, his hand lowering.

He didn't even have time to react or do anything before the source of the footsteps approached him from behind in the kitchen, giving him one solid whack in the head. After that, everything was blank.

* * *

A searing pain overtook his head when he finally came to again; a groan escaped his mouth, but it was drowned out by the ringing in his ears, as the world around him spun and struggled to come into focus. He blinked and looked around, the world coming more and more into focus as each second passed. He was… back in his living room. A big, buff Inkling was standing nearby, watching him.

"...Hey…" He breathed as he tried to move, but his arms were restrained behind him, and his legs seemed to be as well, disabling him entirely as he struggled in vain, grunting in the process. "…Hey!" The chair he was tied to shook as she flailed around, but he made no progress in escaping. "…Let me… let me go!"

The guard just stood still, hands by his sides and fists clenched just in case he did escape.

He soon gave up, looking up at him. "…Why are you doing this…?"

"Because you had it coming." A female voice spoke behind her.

He looked around in confusion for a mere moment before Briana stepped into view, standing next to the guard. "…Sunny…" He replied.

"Your clock's running out, Kelp." She said, as Diane also stepped in, more reluctantly. To his horror, however, Diane was holding Dennis' charger, which was now loaded.

He immediately started struggling more. "No, no… no!"

"Don't bother struggling." Diane replied, her hand somewhat shaky. "It's not going to get you anywhere."

"W-Why are you doing this!?"

"Because you've had it coming. For a while." Briana interjected again. "…It's just finally catching up to you."

"...W-What do you mean!?"

"...Do you not care? Do you not care how you've treated us? We tried to help you just for some help in return, and you… treated us like garbage..." She continued, poison and anger in her voice. "All we needed was to keep the gig that you dumped after Splatoon Island, we all would've been happy… but you threw it away to keep a buck."

"Please… I never…" He couldn't help but find himself staring at Diane's gun, just as shaky as she was. "…P-Please…" He repeated.

Diane stared back, shakily tearing up. She knew what she had to do, but her mind was racing, all sorts of negative thoughts bubbling up and telling her to put the gun down. Her hand got progressively shaky, while Kelp could do nothing but stare in horror, repeatedly begging for them to let him go.

"...Is that it?" Briana asked. "…No apology? No care? Just… care for your own life?"

"...I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" He forced out. "I didn't do anything… I swear!"

"...You're lying…" Diane managed to mutter. "…Just like you always have…"

"I'm not… I'm not! You girls just weren't fit for the studio! That's all! You… you really think I would just throw you girls under the bus!? Willingly!? I-I had no choice! I'm a good person!"

But both girls could tell differently. They knew him just enough to know he was making up words, throwing anything out just to make him look good. Like any other businessman. Briana gave a simple nod to the nearby thug.

The thug nodded back a bit and then stepped forward, punching him in the gut. Kelp groaned out in pain as the thug hit him more times, until he started bleeding out his mouth, wheezing.

"That's enough." Briana said afterward, prompting the man to stand down. She turned to Diane. "…Just one step left, babe…"

Kelp, staring at her, continued to wheeze in pain, while his body remained otherwise paralyzed.

Diane took a step forward, finally aiming the gun at his head. One trigger press, and Ryan Kelp, would be dead, brains all over the wall behind him. Her hand and thus the gun shook somewhat violently, so she reached her other hand up to help keep it steady; an action that only barely worked. At least… it would be quick, right? Kelp wouldn't feel any more pain. All she had to do was squeeze the trigger… just a little bit… and it would be over…

Her reassuring thoughts swam away, however, as a single, defeated, shaky, desperate phrase left Kelp's ink-covered mouth. "…Please… don't…"

She blinked, tearing up some more. She subconsciously lowered the gun a bit, and the room fell into a painful silence with the exception of Kelp's wheezing. Briana looked at her.

"...I can't do it…" Diane breathed, shaking her head a bit. She lowered the gun more. "I can't do it…"

"...Dawn…" Briana tried to interject. "…Are you forgetting everything he's done to us? What Lincoln will give us if we do this?"

"...I'm sorry…" She looked at her. "…Maybe this is too much…"

But she wasn't having it. "...Dawn, give me the gun." She reached to take it.

"No." She pulled it back, tears falling down her cheeks.

Briana stopped, staring at her. "…I… thought you understood… after everything we've been through…"

She just stared back, silently.

"...Lincoln… Dennis Lincoln…?" Kelp suddenly asked, as they looked at him.

"...H-How could you know that…?" Diane asked.

"...You think I don't know him…? He's an animal… he'll manipulate a-anyone… just to get what he wants… let me guess… he promised you the Splatfest job… and the life you want so bad…? He's playing you… he'll use you as long as he needs… then you're gonna turn out like me! Tied up to a… god damn chair…"

"You're lying. He's giving us everything that you threw away. Our second chance that we _need_." Briana replied.

"...That's how he gets to you…"

She turned to Diane. "…He's lying, Diane. He's shifting blame. Don't listen to him. Listen to me." She cupped her cheek, forcing her into eye contact. "You and me, we can do anything we want. We don't let people manipulate us. _We're_ the ones using _Lincoln_. Kelp's the one who manipulated us. Used us to make a quick buck and then cast us aside. We just need to get him out of the picture. Please, Diane, hand me the gun."

"No… no, I can't…" She backed up again.

"You think I cast you aside…!?" Kelp interrupted again. Diane looked at him. He was clearly feeling more confident about her not pulling that trigger. Now, he just wanted out. "… _You're_ shifting blame… you've tried to blame me, Callie, Marie, whoever the fuck, for your shortcomings for years… Have you ever stopped to think… maybe you just _weren't good enough…_?"

"...What…?" That was it. Finally, something snapped inside Diane.

"You're failures! And you let yourself stay blind to it…!"

She took a step forward, while Briana watched intently. Shakily, she gritted her teeth, and the grip she had on her charger tightened. "…How dare you…?"

Kelp's more confident attitude melted away as he once again stared in fear. He made a mistake.

"...I've poured my _life_ into this!" Diane suddenly shouted. "I-I-I… put countless hours in, training, rehearsing, bettering myself for this job, and at first, people loved us for it! I-It wasn't until _you_ that everything went awry! You! You did this to us! You have no idea what we've been through, do you!? And you're saying we've been manipulated!? Yeah… we've been manipulated by _you_! You! You! All you!"

He gulped a bit, while Briana smiled a bit. "…I'm sorry… I didn't me-"

Yelling, and almost without thinking, Diane suddenly lifted the charger and fired at him. Right through the head. In an instant, his ink and brains covered the wall behind him as his head flew back, while more ink bled profusely through the massive hole where his face used to be. The chair slowly leaned back under his weight, before collapsing backward entirely, bringing his body down with him.

What followed was a horrifying silence, as Diane's mind raced to catch up with what she just did. Did… she just do that? Everything suddenly felt so surreal… Breathing heavier, with her eyes wide, she looked back down at the charger that she just used, before shakily dropping it to the ground. A cry escaped her mouth as she backed up, her eyes refusing to look back at the body.

"Hey, hey, it's ok… it's ok…" Briana suddenly grabbed her from behind, trying to calm her violent shaking. "It's ok… it's over now…"

As Lincoln's thug casually went to take care of the body, having been assigned to cover the situation up, Diane finally looked back at the body in horror while Briana held her close.

"He deserved it…" Briana reassured her. "You did the right thing, Dawn… everything will be ok, now…"

But Diane wasn't sure she believed that.

…Would it?

* * *

**One Month Later**

_"As dusk settles over the city, one month after the now infamous Squid Sisters and Off the Hook producer, Ryan Kelp, was found dead in his home after what appeared to be a suicide, the new popstar duo, Dawn and Sunny of Solar Flair, is now prepared to make their grand Inkopolis debut, right here tonight in Inkopolis Square, for the Sunrise vs Sunset Splatfest. For the first Splatfest of this year's Splatfest season, turnout seems to be a bit lower than usual, but still bustling with life as thousands of Inklings and Octolings around the city begin their celebrations. Of course, this Splatfest is also coming during a time of civil unrest within the city, as thousands also remain paranoid and hidden as crime and terrorism continue to spike dramatically following the Underdogs incident, as well as the New Squidbeak Splatoon revelations; while teenagers come into this summer feeling ready to have fun, we are also seeing high police activity tonight, not long after the government's recent announcement of the new KRAKEN task force, a new and currently developing military branch dedicated to anti-terrorism right here in the city. Despite heavy public criticism toward the new order, with many worrying about their rights and safety amidst the new city protocols following revelations that the new branch will be legally able to invade homes without warrants and arrest anyone who seems suspicious, KRAKEN is expected to begin their patrol later this year, following the conclusion of the current Splatfest season."_

Diane silently prettied herself up in front of her mirror, carefully applying all the make-up she needed to herself, occasionally pursing her lips for herself to see as she worked. She was only listening to the news in the background, as it played on the overhead TV in the changing room. She was currently in Inkopolis Square, hidden away from the outside crowd, and was in her brand new Solar Flair outfit, that would be debuting tonight as soon as she stepped outside. Finishing up, she puckered her lips in the mirror and put her supplies aside, sitting up. Unable to take her eyes off of it, she ended up giving herself a nice, long, silent stare.

Tonight was a big win for her and Briana; they finally got everything they wanted. They had a better home, better lives, full stomachs, and all the make-up they could ever want. But… still, something felt off. Almost like… she made the wrong choice the previous month. What else could've been done? _Was_ there something else she could've done? …She felt like she should know the answer, but truthfully, she didn't. She was never entirely sure anymore.

Her thoughts melted away, however, as she heard the curtain to the room open. "There she is…" She turned to see Dennis' massive Isopod body squeeze in, as Briana followed in after him, also in her new Solar Flair outfit. She stood up, as her new, towering producer stood in front of her.

"...Lincoln." She greeted.

"Diane." He reached down to rub her hair a bit. "…I'm so very proud of you. You know that?"

"...Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"I expect that you'll give us a hell of a show for your debut. You've given your all just to get us here."

"And you've given us the first step toward giving Callie and Marie what they deserve." Briana added, looking up at him. "Thank you."

"You're right. We've still a lot of work to do. But today, we make Inkopolis history. The first words of our very own chapter." He gave a nod. "Now… it's almost time for the concert. Time for you girls to get your names out there."

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

Diane nodded a little as Dennis stepped away, before her gaze went back downward.

"...Dawn…" Briana noticed and turned to her. "…What's wrong?"

She looked up at her, feigning as if nothing happened. "…Nothing."

She reached over and cupped her cheek. "…Just remember, babe. We did this. We earned this. No matter what we did to get here. It's not Callie and Marie, it's not Zoey Cook. It's us."

"...We earned this…" She gave her a smile.

She grinned back and gave her a kiss. "…So let's give them a show."

Diane took her hand as they turned toward the exit, where just outside, the people of Inkopolis were waiting and making noise in anticipation. She took a deep breath. She admittedly felt far more empty than when they were preparing to make their Splatoon Island debut, but she had to remember. They earned this.

Putting on a fake smile and a sexy, confident posture, she headed out the door with her, to the brightly lit yet depressing and almost dire dusk air, ready for the brand new age of Inkopolis.


End file.
